Evaluating the Efficacy of Virtual Reality Exposure Therapy in Treating  Social Anxiety Disorder with functional neuroimaging insights

Mahrukh Ansar, Junaid Rasool, Muhammad Imran Khan, Sadia Imran Cheema, Qurrat-ul-ain Fatima, Syed Ahmed Mahmud

Evaluating the Efficacy of Virtual Reality Exposure Therapy in Treating Social Anxiety Disorder with functional neuroimaging insights

Authors

Mahrukh Ansar, Junaid Rasool, Muhammad Imran Khan, Sadia Imran Cheema, Qurrat-ul-ain Fatima, Syed Ahmed Mahmud

Keywords:

virtual reality exposure therapy; social anxiety disorder; functional neuroimaging

Abstract

This randomized controlled trial examined the clinical efficacy of virtual reality exposure therapy(VRET) in treating social anxiety disorder (SAD) and investigated associated neural changes usingfunctional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). One hundred participants diagnosed withmoderate to severe SAD were randomized to receive either VRET or traditional cognitive behavioral exposure therapy over eight weeks. Symptom

References

Carl E, et al. Virtual reality exposure therapy for anxiety and related disorders: A metaanalysis of randomized controlled trials. J Anxiety Disord. 2022;92:102716.

Freeman D, et al. Automated virtual reality therapy for persistent persecutory delusions: An RCT. Lancet Psychiatry. 2022;9(8):597–606.

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Published

2025-08-30

How to Cite

Mahrukh Ansar, Junaid Rasool, Muhammad Imran Khan, Sadia Imran Cheema, Qurrat-ul-ain Fatima, Syed Ahmed Mahmud. (2025). Evaluating the Efficacy of Virtual Reality Exposure Therapy in Treating Social Anxiety Disorder with functional neuroimaging insights . International Journal of Pharmacy Research & Technology (IJPRT), 15(2), 1667–1673. Retrieved from https://www.ijprt.org/index.php/pub/article/view/947